“Building Local Consortia, Financing Strategically, and Leveraging Resources in QRIS”

First 5 CA Health, Education and Care SummitApril 10, 2018Glendale, CA

Today’s Panel Presentation will: • Focus on two of QRIS Seven system functions;

• Build Consortia• Finance Strategically

o Share three county experiences with building consortiums and leveraging resources

o Identify potential areas for leveraging existing local resources to support expansion of engagement and program sustainability

Panelists• Kathleen Guerrero, MA, Executive Director, First 5 El Dorado

• Sharon Baskett, Assistant Superintendent, Riverside County Office of Education

• LaWanda Wesley, Ed.D. , Alameda County Quality Improvement Program Manager and Early Care and Education Planning Council Coordinator

QRIS Seven System Functions• Build Local Consortia• Finance Strategically• Enhance and Align Standards• Recruit and Engage Stakeholders• Create and Support Improvement• Ensure Accountability• Outreach and Communication

Build Local Consortia• What is a consortium?

“an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member.” Miriam Webster

“A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal”

Consortias: “consisting of organizations who have the same goals and objectives to improve the quality of early learning” IMPACT RFA pg21

Required Partners

• Resource and Referral Agencies• Institutes of Higher Education• First 5 County Commission• CSPP Block Grant Lead• Local Educational Agencies• Local Child Care Planning Council

Other Potential Partners

• Libraries• Public Health• Providers and Owners• Community Members• Child Abuse Prevention Partners• Home Visiting Agencies• Family Resource Centers

Consortium Objectives• Systems Change• Leveraging and focusing funding streams• Evaluating strategies• Alignment across Quality Improvement efforts• Effective Governance

Consortium Governance Structures

• County Size• Funding Complexity• Stakeholder Engagement Levels• Governance Structure

Finance Strategically“In this section, Lead Agencies must identify and describe how they will maximize innovative funding strategies that will help maintain long-term sustainability of the local CA-QRIS model and First 5 IMPACT efforts. This includes identifying funding resources from all sectors that are being made available to assist in the development, implementation, and validation of the local CA-QRIS model. This is accomplished through defining roles and responsibilities of the local consortium partners and the resources they bring to the local CA-QRIS model and highlighting what funding streams are being matched and leveraged”. Excerpted from the First 5 IMPACT (Improve and Maximize Programs so All Children Thrive) Request forApplication, July 2015, Pages 11, 30-32

Leveraging Resources - QuestionsWhat are the various ECE Quality and Professional Development Resources available in your consortium?How are they used? Are they used to support QRIS?Are there other resources that might be leveraged?How do we partner?

County Examples

•El Dorado County – small rural•Riverside County – large, urban and suburban

•Alameda - Urban

Building While Flying: Creating A Local Quality Early Learning SystemKathleen Guerrero, Executive Director

First 5 El Dorado Commission

El Dorado County QRIS

Accomplishments• In FY 16-17, over half (54% or 80 of 148) of the county’s

licensed early care and education providers are engaged in High 5 for Quality.

• The number and proportion of high quality sites is increasing. In FY 14-15, 45% of participating sites were rated as Tier 3 or above. In FY 16-17, that percentage increased to 53% (42 of 80).

• Critical infrastructure to support QRIS has been built. Local Assessors provide valid and reliable ratings using research based, teacher interaction and program environment tools shown to impact child outcomes

El Dorado County’s QRIS is referred to as

“High 5 for Quality”.

El Dorado County Champions

Our QRIS was build by trust, respect and communication resulting in friendships that

have endured nearly two decades.

History of Quality Improvement Activities in

El Dorado County

• Head Start, Early Head Start, State Preschool, CA Resource and Referral

• Local Child Care Planning (Coordinating) Councils (1991) and (1997)

• First 5 Commissions (1998)• National Accreditation (2000) • CARES, CARES 2.0, CARES Plus (2000) • School Readiness (2002) • Preschool For All (2006) • First 5 El Dorado (H5Q) (2008)• Race to the Top (2012)• CSPP Block Grant, IT Block Grant, TK (2014)• First 5 CA Commission IMPACT (2015)

El Dorado County Early Care and Education Planning

Council has partnered with and funded a variety of Quality improvement

activities over the last three decades.

Follow the Money

Funding for Early Care and Education adjusts with the

Economy.

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

450000

FY 14-15 FY 15-16 FY 16-17 FY 17-18

Quality Improvement Funding, El Dorado County, FY 2014-17

Race To the Top Early LearningChallenge Grant

Head Start

Local Child Care Planning Council

AB 212

CSPP Block Grant

Child Signature Program RFA #2

CARES Plus

IMPACT

High 5 for Quality

Approach

The path to a QRIS was guided by a committed group

of local advocates.

Local Consortia:Collaborative LeadershipThe local program referred to as “High 5 for Quality” is collaboratively facilitated by the Early Care and Education Planning Council and First 5 El Dorado.

Governance The Local Child Care Planning Council was the natural lead for quality improvement activities:• Required Membership Brings Partners to the

Table• Rules for Decision Making• Public Access and Communication• Consistency Builds Local Trust

Build upon the existing infrastructure.

Collaborative Opportunities • Facilitate school readiness screening,

articulation, and substitute and credentialing services.

• Leverage Head Start and State Preschool Training opportunities.

• Contract out State Preschool slots to other licensed providers meeting title 5 requirements.

• Ensure mixed delivery system. • CARES Plus funding as the incentives for

program participants.

With an agreed upon local structure, the Consortia can creatively address barriers.

Collaborative Opportunities • Child Signature Program RFA#2 funding for

technical assistance, training and assessment• Collaborating with Resource and Referral

Agency to leverage CCIP funding and provide outreach, training and technical assistance to family child care home providers.

• Collaborating with Library Department to provide technical assistance with the Language and Literacy section of the CA Preschool Foundations and Frameworks.

With an agreed upon local structure, the Consortia can creatively address barriers.

Lessons Learned

• Ultimately, its about giving kids high quality care

• Take money off the table when planning• Respect the Impact decisions make on a

partner’s livelihood• Empower partners to advocate for their

population• Address all issues in the meeting, not in the

parking lot• Use facilitation tools that let all members see

how they fit in the system• Set agendas, take notes• Think outside the box

Communication rules are Essential.

For More Information:

Kathleen GuerreroExecutive Director

First 5 El Dorado Commissionkguerrero@edcoe.org

Elizabeth BlakemoreDirector, Early Learning and

Family SupportEDCOE Child Development

Programseblakemore@edcoe.org